Paper-corrugating machine



July 22, 1930. s. M. LANGSTON PAPER CORRUGATING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 18, 1928 a M ATTORNEY$ y 1930. s. M. LANGSTON 1,771,260

PAPER CORRUGATING MACHINE Filed June 18, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 imiimiiii gmumlunnm uuglmmlmnml mm o o o 34 INVENTOR 1M Q Jamaal Mia/ 550a ATTORNEYS July 22, 1930. V 5, LTANGSTQN 1,771,260

PAPER CORHUGAT ING MACHINE Filed June 18, 1928 3 Sheets-$heet 3 ATT R N EY5 Patented July 22, 1930 PATENT OFFICE SAMUEL M. LANGSTON, OF WENONAH, NEW JERSEY PAPER-GORRUGATING MACHINE Application filed June 18,

In the corrugating of straw paper to make single or double faced corrugated board, it is usual practice to pull the paper from the supply roll into the teeth of the corrugating rolls by the rotation of the latter and this action causes it to drag over the teeth which are coming into mesh and also to bend sharply around the ends of the teeth. The tensile strains and bending strains put on the paper by reason of this dragging and bending action is comparatively high and increase rapidly with increase in the speed of the machine.

Due to the wide variations in tensile strength and bending qualities, some paper will fracture at the bends under the hard punishment to which it is subjected in the machine if the paper be run at not to exceed eighty-five feet per minute, while other papers may be run two'hundred and fifty feet per minute in the machine without showing fracture.

In practice the tensile strain on the paper being delivered from the roll varies due to unbalanced condition of the supply roll, the fly wheel effect of the supply roll if it be large, the reducing diameter of the roll as the paper is unwound, and variations in the braking action of the frictional resistance.

If the tension on the paper due to these or other causes-varies between comparatively wide limits the speed of the machine is practically limted to what the paper will stand at the higher limit of tension.

The main object of the present invention is to provide and maintain a substantially uniform, definite and comparatively low tension on the paper as it goes into thecorrugating rolls and irrespective of the size or unbalanced condition of the supply roll of the straw paper, or the speed at which it is delivered.

By use of my invention paper having poor tensile and bending qualities will not break under-the tensile strain or under the bending strain even when the machine is operated at speeds which have heretofore been possible, only with the very best grades of paper.

I In carrying out my invention I provide feeding mechanism for delivering the paper 1928; Serial No. 286,348.

to the corrugating rolls and as the important feature of my invention, I provide improved means for varying the speed of this feed mechanism in respect to variations in the take-up of the corrugating rolls in order that the tension on the paper between the feed roll and the corrugating rolls may be maintained constant.

As a further important feature I provide simple and improved means, whereby the tension on the paper may be regulated at will and in accordance with the width of the sheet, the character of the paper or other operating conditions.

Other objects and advantages of my improved construction and other important features of'my invention will be apparent from a study of the specific construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings and hereinafter described or will be hereinafter pointed out.

The constructionillustrated is only one embodiment of my invention and itwill be apparent that various changes may be made in the details of construction and the relative arrangement of the parts within the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is an end view of my improved apparatus showing somewhat diagrammatically the supply roll from which the paper is taken and the corrugating rolls to which it is delivered;

Fig. 2 is a face view of the upper part of one end of the machine looking from the right side of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the drive end of the machine; and

Fig. 5 is a face view looking from the left of Fig. 1, the upper part being in section on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

In the machine illustrated the paper is delivered from any suitable source as for instance the supply 10, between a pair of feed rolls 11, 12 to the corrugating rolls 13, 14. These corrugating rolls may be of the type employed in any single face or double face machine as for instance the machine shown in nziy prior Patent 1,642,? 82, issued Sept. 20,

The feed rolls 11 and 12 are mounted on a frame including end members 15 which may be supported on and secured to a suitable base 16. The lower feed roll 12 is mounted directly in these frame members. while the upper roller is preferably mounted in a pair of pivoted arms 17, whereby the upper roll may normally rest directly upon the paper passing between the rolls and may be raised out of contact therewithif desired. The two arms 17 are mounted on pivots 18 and each has a depending arm 19 presenting a bearing surface. A transverse shaft 20 has a cam 21 on each end thereof adjacent to the corresponding arm 19 and also has an operating handle or lever 22.

With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1 the weight of the feed roll 11 will rest upon the paper and the lower feed roll 12.

By turning the handle 22 toward the right through approximately 90 the curved portions of the cams 21 will force the arms 19 toward the right and thereby lift the feed roll 11 until the fiat sides of the-cams are against the levers 19. The cams will then act as supports and will hold the feed roll 11 in raised position to facilitate threading up the machine.

It will be noted that the upper roll 11 is merely an idler for holding the paper against the lower roll 12 which does the feeding action. It will also be noted that the paper follows the surface of the roll 12 alonga considerable arc. The frictional engagement of the paper with the surface of the roll is in many cases sufficient to give the desired feeding action, without the necessity for the roll 11. This is particularly true if the roll 12 be roughened or provided with a surface of rubber or analogous material which will give the desired grip of the roll on the paper. Thus the roll 11 and the parts for supporting and raising the same may be entirely omitted if desired. I

Between the feed rolls and the corrugating rolls there is provided an idler 23, the weight of which in whole or in part rests upon the paper so as to give the paper a definite and predetermined tension during that part of the run leading to the corrugating rolls.

This idler 23 in the improved construction illustrated is mounted upon a pair of arms 24 which extend in a generally horizontal direction from a shaft 25 to which they are secured. Thus as the arms swing through comparatively narrow limits the idler has an up and down movement which is approximately vertical.

For controlling the effective weight of the idler, the arms 24 are each operatively connected to pulley segments 26 which also swing about the shaft 25 as a center. Preferably these pulley segments are formed integral with the arms and in connection therewith form parts which are substantially bell crank levers.

The end frames 25 of the machine support sheaves 27, and cords, belts or other equivalent tension members extend over these sheaves. One end of each tension member is secured to the corresponding pulley segment 26 so as to tend to wind on the latter as the idler 23 goes down while the other end of each tension member is connected to a weight 28.

The radius of each pulley segment 26 is comparatively large in respest to the length of its arm 24 so as to give the desired leverage and the weight 28 is adjusted so that its tendency to pull the pulley segment 26 toward the right from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and thereby lift the idler 23, mav be made as effective as desired.

By making the weight 28 heavy enough the Weight of the idler may be entirely counterbalanced. The weight 28 may be adjusted in accordance with the width of the paper, the character thereof, and other operating conditions so that the tension of the paper going to the corrugating rolls and which is determined by the effective weight of the idler 23, may be so set as to obtain the best effect.

The frame of the machine carries a transverse shaft 29 which is provided with a hand wheel 30 and apair of cam faced levers 31. These are normally disposed adjacent to, but out of contact with face plates 32 on the pulley segments 26, and each of these levers or arms has a substantially flat end.

By turning the hand wheel 30 counterclockwise the cam surfaces may be forced into engagement with the corresponding face plates 32 to swing the arms 24 in a counterclockwise direction and lift the idler.

When the ends of the cam members 31 come into operation they act as stops to lock the idler in raised position, thus facilitating the threading up of the machine.

The shaft 25 also carries a gear 33 which oscillates as the idler 23 raises and lowers. The movement of this gear is utilized for varying the speed of the drive of the machine in respect to the speed of the corrugator and in accordance with the varying take-up in the corrugating rolls so that the loop with which the idler 23 engages is kept substantially constant.

As a preferred example of the driving and speed varying means which may be employed I have illustrated a Reeves drive. This i11- cludes a pair of cone driving pulleys 34 connected by a belt 35 to a pair of cone driven pulleys 36. The transmission ratio may be varied by moving the pulleys 34 toward or from each other and simultaneously moving the driven pulleys 36 in the opposite direction. Levers 37 are employed for this purpose, the

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said levers being pivoted intermediate of their ends and having forks engaging with nuts 38 on a screw shaft 39. By rotating this shaft in one direction the pulleys 34 will be separated and the pulleys 36 brought together to thereby decrease the speed transmission ratio, while by rotating the shaft 39 in "the opposite direction the speed transmission ratio will be increased.

This control shaft 39 has a sprocket wheel 40 connected by a chain 41 to a sprocket wheel 42 mounted on a stub shaft on the frame and connected to a pinion 43 meshing with the gear 33 which is connected to the idler supporting arms 24.- Thus as the loop of paper shortens and the idler rises, the control shaft 39 will be rotated to increase the speed of the fed rolls, and as the idler lowers, the speed of the feed rolls will be decreased.

The transmission of power from the driven pulleys 36 is through a driven shaft 44 provided with a sprocket wheel 45 connected by a chain 46 to a sprocket wheel 47, on the shaft of the lower feed roll.

The shaft 48 of the driving cone pulleys is preferably driven directly from the corrugator or from the same source of power as the latter, so that its speed will vary directly with the speed of the corrugator.

I have illustrated this shaft 48 as provided with a sprocket 49 having a chain 50 extending toward the corrugator. It will of course be understood that this chain 50 is driven at a speed directly proportional to the speed of the corrugating rolls, even though the particular interconnection which may be employed is not illustrated.

\ By means of my improved construction the tension of the-paper going to the corrugating rolls may be varied at will by varying the weight 28 and may be held low and constant, and will remain fixed irrespective of variations in the speed of the corrugator.

A corrugator provided with my improved mechanism may be operated at very high speed with a comparatively poor grade of straw paper without liability of breakage of the paper under the tensile and bending strains. I y

In some of the appended claims I refer to the gear 33 as a speed controlling member inasmuch as this gear operates the gear 42, chain 41, and screw shaft 39 of the Reeves drive. It will of course be evident that if the machine be operated by some other form of drive, there will be appropriate changes in the means employed for varying the speed of the drive by means of the gear 33.

If the machine be driven by an electric motor the gear 33 may be connected by suitable means to the rheostat of the motor so that the motor will accelerate as the gear 33 rotates in one direction and decelerate' when it rotates in the opposite direction Having thus described my inventlon, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A'machine for feeding paper to a pair of corrugating rolls having intermeshing teeth for drawing the paper therebetween, bending it around said teeth and forming the corrugations, including a feed roll for delivering the paper, an idler roll for engaging. the loop of paper between the feed roll and the corrugating rolls, pivoted supports for said idler roll-and permitting the up and down movement of the latter in accordance with the length of the paper loop between the feed rolls and the corrugating rolls, a gear wheel secured to said supports, a Reeves drive for driving said feed roll and means driven by said gear wheel for varying the driving speed ratio of said Reeves drive upon upward of downward movement of said idler.

2. A machine forfeeding paper ,to a pair of corrugating rolls having intermeshing teeth for drawing the paper therebetween,

bending it around said teeth and forming the corrugations, including a feed roll for delivering the paper, a pair of pivoted arms, an idler carried thereb and resting upon the paper between the eed roll and the corrugating rolls, a gear connected to one of said arms, a pinion meshing with said gear, a Reeves drive including a drive shaft, a driven shaft and a control shaft, driving connections between said drive shaft and said corrugating rolls, driving connections between said driven shaft and said feed roll and operating connections between said pinion and said control shaft.

3. A machine for feeding paper to a pair of intermeshing corrugating rolls, including means for supporting a supply roll of paper to be corrugated, a feed roll for withdrawing paper from said supply roll and delivering it to said corrugating rolls, a pair of pivoted arms, an idler carried thereby and resting on the paper between the feed roll and the corrugating rolls, arms rigid. with and extending substantially at right angles to the first mentioned arms, cams for engaging said second mentioned arms to positively lift the idler, and counterbalancing weights having tension means connected 'to said seconld mentioned arms and tending to lift said id er.

4. A machine for feeding paper to a pair of intermeshing corrugating rolls, including means for supporting a supply roll of paper to be corrugated, a feed roll for withdrawing paper from said supply roll and delivering it to said corrugating rolls, a pair of pivoted arms, an idler carried thereby and resting on the paper between the feed roll and the corrugating rolls, arms rigid with and extend ing substantially at right angles to the first mentioned arms, cams for engaging said second mentioned arms to positively lift the idler, and counterbalancing weights having tension means connected to said second mentioned arms and tending to lift said idler, a gear wheel rigid with said arms, and means operated by said gear wheel for increasing the speed of the feed roll upon the oscillation of the gear wheel in one direction and decreasing the speed of the feed roll upon oscillation in the opposite direction.

5. A machine for feeding straw paper from a supply roll to corrugating rolls, including a feed roll, an idler engaging the paper between said feed roll and the corrugating rolls, a pair of arms supporting said idler, counterbalancing weights tending to swing said arms in one direction to lift the idler, cams for positively moving the arms in the same direction, and a speed controlling member operatively connected to said arms .for accelerating and decelerating the speed of the feed roll upon oscillation of said arms.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 15th day of June, A. D. 1928.

SAMUEL M. LANGSTON. 

